Changes and Perspectives in Agricultural Land-Use and Their Geoecological Consequences for the Mountain of Mallorca Island^
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Pirineos (E-Journal) Pirineos, 141-142: 85 a 96, JACA; 1993 CHANGES AND PERSPECTIVES IN AGRICULTURAL LAND-USE AND THEIR GEOECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE MOUNTAIN OF MALLORCA ISLAND^ PERE A. SALVA TOMÁS ABSTRACT.- The changes in land-use, caused by the impact of mass tourism which has occured in the Balearios since the 50s, are analyzed in the Serra de Tramuntana of the ¡Mallorca island (Balearic Islands, Spain). The result has been a disarticulation of the traditional territorial organization based on agro-silvo-pastoral activities. New activities are now appearing, related to leisure and recreation, whilstthe territorial aptitude of the Serra de Tramuntana, with regard to its geoecological characteristics is basically transformed into a large natural park. RESUMEN.- Se analizan los cambios de uso del suelo en la Serra de Tramuntana de la isla de Mallorca (islas Baleares, España) ocasionados por el impacto del turismo de masas que se desarrolla en las Baleares a partir de los años 50. El resultado ha sido una desarticulación del modelo de organiza ción territorial tradicional así como de la producción agraria que se basaba sobre las actividades agro-silvo-pastorales. En la actualidad aparecen nuevas actividades relacionadas con el ocio y la recreación, mientras que la apritud territorial de la Serra de Tramuntana en función de sus características se encamina básicamente hacia su transformación en un amplio parque natural. RÉSUMÉ.- On analyse les changements de l'utilisation du sol dans la Serra de Tramuntana de l'Ile de Majorque (Iles Baléares, Espagne) provoqués par l'impact du tourisme de masse qui s'est développé aux Baléares à partir des années 1950. Le résultat est une désarticulation du modèle traditionnel d'organisation territoriale, ainsi que de la production agricole basée sur les activités agro-sylvo-pastorales. Actuellement, de nouvelles activités apparaissent liées aux loisirs et aux besoins récréatifs, tandis que l'aptitude territoriales de la Serra de Tramuntana d'après ses caractéristiques géo écologiques s'oriente fondamentalement vers sa transformation en un vaste parc naturel. 1 Received, March 1992. * Departament de Ciències delà Terra (Geografía 1 Geología). Universitat de les liles Balears. Campus Universitari. 07071, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands. Spain/Researcher of the Institut d'Estudis Avançats de les Ules Balears. C.S.I.C. 85 (c) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://pirineos.revistas.csic.es Licencia Creative Commons 3.0 España (by-nc) PIRINEOS 141-142 Key words: Agriculture, island, mountain, sustainable development 1. The Mallorca mountains The mountain area of the Mallorca island is made up basically of two geomorphological and structural units with different territorial dimensions, represented, on the one hand, by the Serra de Tramuntana or Northern mountain range; and on the other, the Serres de Llevant (Mountain ranges of Llevant). Whilst the former constitutes a craggy mountainous region, the latter is made up of a group of hills with gentle, rounded slopes, with modest heights which never exceed 600 metres. Therefore the popular perception of the Mallorca mountain coincides with the Northern Mountain range or Serra de Tramuntana which has the real characteristics of mountainous areas. As a result we will only analyze the main characteristics of this latter morphostructural unit. The Serra de Tramuntana covers an area of about 1.000 km^ which represent almost a third of the territorial surface of the Mallorca island. This unit is basically made up of a strip of about ninety-eight kilometres long by an average of about fifteen km wide. Its morphology is uneven and with peculiar characteristics, especially noticeable in the carstic phenomena. It extends along the NW slope of the Mallorca island, from SW to NE. It is made up of a series of powerful carbonated masses —calcareous and dolomitic— inserted between marly or marly-calcareous type levels. On these lime materials fields of "lapiaz" have been sculptured, presenting a series of longitudinal valleys which have been excaved at the expenses of the marly levels. There are heights in this territory which exceed 1.000 metres (Puig Major: 1.443 m.; Massanella: 1.340 m.; L'Ofre: 1.090 m.; Tossals: 1.074 m.; Teix: 1.074 m.; Alfabia: 1.068 m.; Galatzó: 1.026 m.; Puig Roig: 1.003 m.). Morphological characteristics cause the rainfall on the Serra de Tramuntana to be greater than that of the rest of the island. The majority of the stations record 700 mm. and some even exceed 1.000 mm., and there is a moderate reduction in rainfall in any case from North to South and as the heights decrease. On the other hand the Serra de Tramuntana acts as a screen for certain climatic elements which attempt to cross it, thus affecting the orevall climate of the Mallorca island. Due to the climatic, geomorphological and edaphological features, and also because of the difficulty in reaching it, the Northern Mallorca mountain range comprises a rural space with a predominance of wide areas of natural or seminatural vegetation. This vegetation covers approximately 660 km^, being made up basically of pines (Pinus halepensis) and holm oaks (Quercus ilex) which alternate with wide areas of scrub. The potential vegetation of Serra is defined by the alliances of Quercion ilicis, Olea-Ceratonion. Rosmahno-Ericion and Teucrietum subspinosi. The importance of each of these alliances on the space of the Mallorca mountain has undergone modifications, as a result of direct or indirect impact of the antropic action. The real holm oak (Quercion ilicis) is now practically non- 86 (c) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://pirineos.revistas.csic.es Licencia Creative Commons 3.0 España (by-nc) CHANGES IN THE MOUNTAIN OF MALLORCA existent, only being found on the shady slopes, which mand finds difficult to reach. In general, the holm oak is in a precarious situation, to which the action of animals, especially goats and pigs, has also contributed. This potential vegetation of the Serra de Tramuntana, which was dominant in times gone by, has been replaced by man's direct or indirect handling of the remaining alliances, which are those which make up the current natural landscape of the Serra. The physical-ecological pecularities of the Serra de Tramuntana have meant that the cultivated lands record lower percentages than the other Mallorca regions. In general, they also register a recession with regards to earlier times, due to the fragility of a non-competitive agriculture which is only complemented with very extense cattle-raising and/or not very profitable forest exploitation. The Serra de Tramuntana has experienced important changes since the 50s and more especially since the 60s due to the impact of the mass tourism which takes place on the Mallorca island. This fact has caused the breakup of the traditional production economic model which was based on agriculture, resulting in diversification and a dependence on the service sector. The development of tertiary activities has had territorial consequences caused bythe economic oportunities represented by tourism. This mutation experinced bythe Mallorca mountains represents a differential fact with regard to the changes experinced by the mountain in general. The cause due to different processes. Whilst in the majority of the cases, especially in the peninsular mountains, these changes are motived by town developments and industrialization processes, in the case of Mallorca these transformations are based on the impact of a new activity being developped in industralized countries, related to the islands attraction for the people of Western Europe, led by tour-operators and charter flights, involving a massive influx of tourists to the Balearic islands. The elements of this decline are similar in all the mountain areas: Population decrease, aging, breakup of the traditional systems and changes in land-use. The agriculture in the mountain of the Mallorca island is, therefore, at crisis point. Its geographic marginality, its irregular morphology, the dominion of steep slopes, the typology of its climatic conditions and the lack of productive resources (soils with scarse agronomic quality, insufficient communications network...) have had a desisive effect.These already unfavourable characterises are becoming even worse due to of the profitability of the same crops in other parts of the island and even of the continent. Thus a double marginality occurs: Marginality within the island itself and marginality of the islands with respect to the continent. It must be highlighted however that apart from the purely economic profitability problems, the agricultural activities must be promoted due to geoecologial reasons. The protection of agricultural activity is decisive as it forms part of a complex system where the fragile agrosystems are submitted to a rapid environment degradation. To develop the mountain areas it is vital to maintain an agricultural system permitting the maintenance of the environment and the rural landscape with an interaction in the physical, biological, economic and social media. 87 (c) Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://pirineos.revistas.csic.es Licencia Creative Commons 3.0 España (by-nc) PIRINEOS 141-142 2. Land-use in traditional agriculture The physical-natural elements which define the Mallorca Serra de Tramuntana have only permitted the existence of a fragile agriculture